Heriot-Watt UniversityThe Ocean Systems Laboratory (OSL) is a leading international centre for research, development and exploitation of acoustic, robotic and video-imaging systems.United Kingdom

Institut maritime du QuébecFounded in Rimouski in 1944 and unique in Quebec, the Institut maritime du Quebec trains and prepares a competent work force for all fields related to the sea and transportation business. The quality of the training offered is recognize world wide.Canada

WONDERMAR c/o BALance Technology Consulting GmbHWONDERMAR, an open user group in the maritime sector, coordinates activities of European projects with a main focus on reviewing the state of the art and identifying new developments in the information technology area. Germany

Improved SeaBattery

9/12/2000

DeepSea Power & Light has taken advantage of recent advances in battery technology to improve their proven SeaBattery. The most recent evolution has increased the storage capacity by almost 10%. This increase expands the 12-volt battery from 76Ah to 84Ah, and the 24-volt battery from 38Ah to 42Ah. What this means to the user is a significant increase in battery life.

DeepSea's SeaBattery has long been recognized as an extremely rugged product. Because of its’ pressure compensating design and robust housing, this battery is rated at full ocean depth. The battery’s durability was witnessed, when 5 batteries attached to a light tower with DeepSea 1200 watt HMI lights were inadvertently dropped during deployment to the RMS Titanic. The light towers fell 2½ miles to the ocean floor, and the equipment was feared lost. Fortunately, the equipment was easily recovered when the manned submersibles finally reached the bottom. They simply turned on the remote switch and the lights shined brightly on the bottom of the ocean. The whole system was moved into position and used for the remainder of the filming.

Typically, these batteries are used for long-term oceanographic deployment, where they will sit at bottom of the ocean providing power to monitoring equipment for months at a time. Or, they will supply power for years to unmanned buoys while on a constant trickle charge.